Unleash Your Potential: Don't forget to update that resume

It's an all-too-common scenario that affects the majority of today's workers. They neglect to periodically update their resumes throughout the term of their employment with a company.

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By Lenny Keitel

recordonline.com

By Lenny Keitel

Posted Mar. 19, 2012 at 2:00 AM

By Lenny Keitel
Posted Mar. 19, 2012 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

It's an all-too-common scenario that affects the majority of today's workers. They neglect to periodically update their resumes throughout the term of their employment with a company.

Consequently, accomplishments, milestones, recognition, publications and professional seminars never make it onto the document, which is rendered archaic and useless. Being armed with a relatively up-to-date resume is absolutely vital, especially if an employment situation changes or an immediate opportunity emerges.

Industry experts recommend that you update your resume every six months. There are myriad situations that justify such discipline. Changes on the job are commonplace. These include promotions, accolades, sales quota clubs, new skills, publications, additional degrees, certifications and staffing responsibilities. As time passes, such details tend to fade from memory.

The truth is, no one really knows when they will require immediate access to their resume. Updating a resume not only allows for the incorporation and emphasis of new skills and achievements, but also means eliminating obsolete entries that have no relevance in today's job market. You're simply wasting precious space.

The average employee doesn't have access to a crystal ball to predict his or her employment status at any given moment, especially in today's economic turmoil. If you receive the unfortunate news that your position is being eliminated, attempting to resurrect your employment highlights and achievements while under stress is counterproductive. Invariably, you will sell yourself short by omitting the vital skills and expertise a potential employer may be seeking. Arming yourself with a recently updated resume will help mitigate the anxiety and facilitate immediate traction in your job search.

In today's virtual world of LinkedIn, social networks and search engines, you cannot anticipate when you will encounter your "dream job" or when a network connection will alert you to an immediate opening and ask for a copy of your resume as soon as possible. If you're working under a tightly imposed schedule, the associated risk for omissions, compromised facts and typographical and grammatical errors may escalate — potentially compromising an extraordinary opportunity.

Never place yourself in a position where you must react to a situation you could easily have managed proactively. Periodically updating a resume is an essential task that's easily overlooked or dismissed by the demands and pressures of today's fast-paced environment. A strategic approach for any worker is to ensure their resume is current and ready for submission at any time — whether seeking new opportunities or affected by downsizing.

Ensuring your resume is current also means it's visually appealing and not cluttered. If it's not easy to read, it may be an opportune time for a redo.

Lenny Keitel runs Hudson Valley Resumes (www.hudsonvalleyresumes.com), a resume writing service in Monroe. He can be reached at info@hudsonvalleyresumes.com, 782-6714 or 914-391-5300.